Why Sleep Is a Skill—And How Stretching, Breathing, and Emotional Regulation Can Train It

Written By YJ Cho

Zero Point One Physical Therapy | NoMad NYC

Ever lie in bed, mind racing, unable to sleep—not because your body’s not tired, but because your thoughts won’t stop?

You’re not alone.

Many of our patients come to us not just with injuries or pain—but with a hidden culprit: poor sleep. And often, it’s not because they can’t sleep... it’s because they can’t turn off.

Stress, racing thoughts, emotional overload—they keep the brain in overdrive. And when the mind is wired, the body can’t rest.

But here’s the good news:

Emotional regulation is trainable. And when you train your nervous system, you train your sleep.

New research in Scientific Reports (2024) found that a simple 5-minute breathing technique improved emotional regulation and control by calming down the brain’s overactivity, particularly in areas tied to rumination and anxiety.

(Zaccaro et al., 2024 via PsyPost)

And when your brain is better at regulating emotion, you're better at relaxing, downshifting—and sleeping.

At Zero Point One, This Is Something We Teach Daily

For years, we’ve taught our patients that sleep isn’t just rest—it’s a skill.

  • A skill that can be trained

  • A skill that’s tied to emotional control, not just bedtime routines

  • A skill that affects recovery, pain, movement, and performance

Let’s break it down: what the research says, why it matters, and what you can actually do about it—starting tonight.

1. Emotional Control, Sleep, and Your Nervous System

When you're lying in bed overthinking, what’s really happening?

Your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight mode) is still activated. That stress state ramps up cortisol and adrenaline, and it keeps your brain on high alert—exactly what you don’t want before sleep.

The 2024 study found that slow-paced breathing (specifically at 6 breaths per minute) significantly:

  • Reduced overactivity in the brain's default mode network (DMN)—the system tied to internal chatter and emotional overwhelm

  • Improved self-regulation and control in real-time

  • Increased parasympathetic tone (the rest-and-digest state)

This is the same neural system that helps you calm down, fall asleep, and stay asleep.

2. The Neurocognitive Model: Sleep Is Not Passive—It’s Trainable

A 2025 paper in Frontiers in Sleep makes a bold, research-backed claim:

Sleep is not just a biological function—it’s a neurocognitive skill involving motor control, emotional regulation, and cognitive training.
(Kahawage et al., 2025)

That means:

  • Your thoughts, breathing, and movement patterns influence sleep

  • You can build a “sleep routine” the same way you build a deadlift or a mobility program

  • And the more consistently you practice sleep-regulating behaviors, the more automatic they become

Sleep, in other words, is not something you hope happens.
It’s something you train for.

3. Stretching: Training the Body to Let Go

A 2023 scoping review in Sleep found that chronic stretching (10–60 minutes, 3–7x/week) improves sleep quality in both healthy individuals and those with pain.

(Maillot et al., 2023)

It works by:

  • Releasing physical tension

  • Enhancing body awareness (interoception)

  • Reducing sympathetic nervous system activity

  • Creating a consistent ritual that primes the brain for sleep

In our clinic, we use targeted nighttime stretching as part of our patient programming for those recovering from low back pain, tendinopathies, and chronic stress. Why? Because the body and brain learn how to enter recovery mode through repetition.

4. Breathing: A Daily Practice to Regulate Emotion and Sleep

We now have multiple sources confirming what breathwork practitioners have known for decades:

Slow, deliberate breathing improves emotional control, reduces anxiety, and enhances sleep quality.

The technique is simple and backed by both neuroscience and physiology:

  • Resonance frequency breathing (5–6 breaths per minute)

  • Inhale for 5 seconds

  • Exhale for 5–6 seconds

  • Repeat for 5–15 minutes before bed

Research shows this rhythm synchronizes your breathing with your heart rate, increasing heart rate variability (HRV)—a key marker of resilience and recovery.

Use this time to observe your thoughts without judgment. Let your body and breath guide your brain into a more regulated state. This is how you train your parasympathetic system to take the wheel when it’s time to rest.

Our Recommended 15-Minute Pre-Sleep Routine

Want to train the skill of sleep? Start here.

🔄 1. Stretch (5–10 minutes)

  • Target tension areas: hips, hamstrings, upper back, neck

  • Hold each stretch for 30–60 seconds

  • Breathe deeply through each position

🌬 2. Resonance Breathing (5 minutes)

  • Inhale for 5 seconds

  • Exhale for 5–6 seconds

  • Stay present and quiet

  • Use an app like Othership, Breathwrk, or HRV4Biofeedback

🧠 3. Notice Your Thoughts (2 minutes)

  • Bring awareness to your mental state

  • Practice non-judgmental observation

  • Think of it as “mental warm-down” for the day

Why This Matters for Your Recovery and Performance

If you’re a runner, lifter, class-goer, or a high-functioning professional trying to stay healthy, here's what you need to know:

  • Sleep influences everything from injury risk to tendon healing to strength gains

  • Emotional dysregulation is one of the most common causes of sleep disruption

  • You can train emotional regulation using breath, stretching, and mental awareness

  • The key is repetition, structure, and patience—just like any good training program

Final Thoughts: Learn to Downregulate Like It’s Your Job

So many of our patients know how to go hard.
But few were ever taught how to come down.

Downregulation isn’t laziness. It’s elite recovery. It’s what lets your brain and body actually repair, adapt, and perform.

At Zero Point One Physical Therapy, we don't just treat injuries.
We help you build the systems behind sustainable performance.
And yes—that includes training the skill of sleep.

Ready to Recover Better, Sleep Deeper, and Perform Stronger?

Book a FREE Phone Consult with Our Team:
www.zeropointonept.com

Whether you're recovering from pain or just trying to stop lying awake at night replaying your day—we’ll help you build a nervous system that supports the life you want to live.

Works Cited

YJ Cho
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